safe and
productive lives
and enterprises
Vulnerable Workers in Health and Social Care
Due to the high numbers of workers employed in the health and social care sector, Vulnerable Workers are common.
EU-OSHA defines Vulnerable Workers as "certain groups who may be more at risk from occupational accidents or ill-health than others or those that have special considerations that may need to be taken account of in a health and safety context."
Vulnerable Workers include:
- Sensitive Risk Groups, for example, young persons, night and shift workers, pregnant, postnatal and breastfeeding employees, and,
- Other Vulnerable Workers, for example, migrant workers*, agency and temporary workers, workers for whom English is not their first language, inexperienced workers, workers with disabilities, etc.
*A migrant worker is a person who is engaged or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a national. For some migrant workers, language barriers can make accessing information about their rights and safe working practices more difficult. Many migrant workers from outside the European Union (EU) are employed under the employment permits system which can make it more difficult to speak out about unsafe work practices.
Please note the following key points regarding Vulnerable Workers:
- The employer should manage and conduct work activities in such a way to ensure the safety, health and welfare at work of their workers,
- Ensure risk assessments take into account the risks for Vulnerable Workers.
- Ensure that all instruction, training and supervision to workers in relation to their health and safety is provided in a form, manner and, as appropriate, language, that is reasonably likely to be understood by the employee.
- Ensure workers are adequately supervised and can communicate effectively with their supervisors.
- Workers are aware of the duties of the employer and employee.
- Workers are aware of reporting procedures and encourage safety reporting, for example, defects in equipment, incidents.
- Ensure workers understand how to raise occupational safety and health concerns and how to engage with the Safety Representative(s).